Spool attachment.



L. I. LECLERC.

SPOOL ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30.1916.

IIIIIIIJHII I I a Mun III VE/V TOR Le/Leale/ a xmomwsrs Patented Mar. 27,1917. 7

LUDGER J. LEGLERC, or AU SABLE FORKS, NEW roan.

' SPOOL ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. an, 1917.

Application filed June 30, 1916. Serial No. 106,794.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUDGER J LEoLnno, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Au Sable Forks, in the county of Essex and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Spool Attachment, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. r g

My invention relates to a device having means for mounting a spool in a manner to exert friction on the ends of the spool, and provided with means for holding and tensioning the thread or wire, the Whole being arranged to permit of the thread or wire being drawn from the spool by the user while at the same time, the thread or Wire will be prevented from freely unwinding, as for instance, when the spool is deposited in the work basket or accidentally dropped.

An object of my invention is to provide in a device of the indicated character, novel means for optionally varying the friction, whereby to relieve the pressure on the spool when the wire or thread is to be drawn there from, and restore the pressure to hold the spool from turning after the desired quan tity has been unwound.

The preferred form of the invention is characterized by a cutter for severing the thread or wire and so arranged relatively to the means for varying the friction that the friction may be varied and the cutter controlled and operated by the fingers of one hand while the thread orwire is controlled by the other hand.

The invention will be particularly explained in the specific description following.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spool attachment embodying my invention in its preferred form, showing the device applied to a spool;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the attachment, the spool being. omitted; 1

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a modified form of cutter.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, the attachmentincludes a U-shaped frame 10 having resilient side arms, designated generally by the numeralll, and formed at the forward ends thereof with oppositely disposed studs 12 at the inner sides .Of the arms to enter the bore of the spool A. The

side arms of the frame have extensions in the rear of the U-shaped frame as "at 13, these constituting fingenholds so the attachment may be grasped between the first finger and thumb, whereby to spring the forward ends of the side arms outwardly for relieving the friction on the ends of the spool when the thread or wire is to be unwound.

Therear extensions or finger grips 13 are preferably produced by applying separate plates or springs 14 to the outer surfaces of the arms 11, and riveting the same as at 15. The studs 12 constituting the journals of the spool may also be riveted to t11e,..sa1e arms to aid in securing the plates 14.

On the longitudinal member of the frame 10, a clamp spring 16 is provided, one end being riveted or otherwise suitably fastened to the frame 10 as at 17, adjacent to one of the members 13. The free end of the spring 16, which is a plate spring, is upturned for the ready entrance of wire or thread a.

Associated with the frame 10 and with the clamp spring 16, at one side of said frame, is a thread guide 18, which may consist of one or more lugs presenting a notch to receive the thread or wire a. On the frame 10 at the opposite side of the spring 16 and in line with thejfir'st-guide 18, is a second guide 19 in the formof' a longitudinally disposed resilient wire fastened at one end and pressing against the frame 10 at its free end, the intermediate portion of the said guide 19 being arched to accommodate the wire or thread a.

With the described construction when a length of thread or wire is to be unwound, the same is grasped with the right hand, for example, while as in Fig. 1, the first finger and thumb of the left hand grasp the mem bers 13 and by pressing the same toward each other, relieve the pressure of the side arms on the ends of the spool. It is to be understood that the thread is passed through the first guide 18, transversely beneath the clamp spring 16, and then beneath theopposite guide 19, and it will be thereby yieldingly held at all times until the spool is completely unwound. Only by a positive pull on the thread or wire can the same be unwound from the spool so that no accidental unwinding will occur when the attachment is dropped or thrown in the work basket.

In the case of a wire spool, the severing with its extension 13.

of the wire requires a positively operated cutter which must be controlled bythe fingers of the hand holding the attachment therefore, I provide in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3, which is designed for a spool of Wire, a cutter blade 20 pivoted as at 21 on a side arm 22, secured to or formed upon the longitudinal member of the U- shaped frame 10. The blade 20 has a knob or enlarged head 23 at the outer end adapted to be engaged by the second finger of the hand that carries the attachment, leaving the first and third fingers free to press endwise against the adjacent resilient side arm of the attachment.

A spring 24 is connected at its outer end with the blade 20, near the head of the latter, and at the opposite end to the adjacent resilient side arm of the U-shaped frame, the spring tending to return'the cutter after a cutting movement. A guide or brace 25 is preferably provided above the blade 20 and secured to the frame 10 or arm 22, or both.

The back edge 20 of the cutter 20 is ground to constitute a cutting edge, and coacting therewith, is a notch 22 in the arm 22. The wire A is passed from the guide 19 over the guide 25 to theback of the cutter blade 20 and entered in the notch 22 and thereby held under tension while the blade 20 is turned on its pivot in. a direction to sever the wire at the notch 22*. The blade 20 has a notch 26 at the opposite side from the cutting edge which is adapted to engage a stop surface 27 at the base of the spring 16 or other relatively fixed part.

It will be obvious that the fingers of the one hand may readily press the resilient side arms of the attachment to permit the free turning of the spool as a pull is exerted on the thread or wire a by the other hand. At the same time, without disturbing the hold on the side arms'of the attachment, the cutter may be rocked to sever the wire after the latter has been presented to the cutting edge 20 In the form shown in Fig. 4: which is adapted for use on a spool having thread insteadof wire, the elements are substantially the same as in the first construction except that one of the side members designated 14: has a cutter 20 at the juncture of said arm This construction answers. for a thread or cord because a positive cutting action is not necessary as the cord maybe brought from the guide 19 beneath the cutter 20 and severed by pressing against said cutter.

In both forms of the invention, the longitudinal; bar of the U-frame is resilient as a means of facilitating the relative movements of the side arms in varying the pressure thereof on the spool.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A spool attachment including a frame presenting a longitudinal bar and side arms spaced to receive a spool, means on the side arms in front of the longitudinal bar torevolubly mount the spool, finger holds on the side arms rearward of the longitudinal bar for springing the frame for varying-the pressure of the side arms on the spool, tensioning means on the longitudinal bar a dapb ed to yieldingly clamp a thread or wire, and a cutter mounted on the frame adjacent to one of the side arms and pivoted to rock in a plane approximately parallel with the longitudinal bar, the said cutter having its outer end projecting beyond the adjacent side arm in position to be operated by a finger of a hand holding the attaclmient, the back edge of the said cutter being a cutting edge and there being a relatively fixed coacting cutting member on the frame.

2. A spool attachment including a frame presenting a longitudinal bar and side arms spaced to receive a spool, means on the side arms in front of the longitudinal bar to revolubly mount the spool, finger holds on the side arms rearward of the longitudinal bar for springing the frame for varying the pressure ofthe side arms on the spool, tensioning means on the longitudinal bar adapted to yieldingly clamp a thread or wire, and a cutter mounted on the frame adjacent to one of the side arms and pivoted to rock in a plane approximately parallel with the longitudinal bar, the said cutter having its outer end projecting beyond the adjacent side arm in position to be operated by a finger of a hand holding the attachment, the back edge of the said cutter being a cutting edge and there being a relatively fixed co-acting memher on the frame; together with, a spring acting on said cutter to return the same after cutting movement.

3. A spool attachment including a frame having means to revolubly mount a spool therein, a plate spring on said frame to yieldingly clamp a thread or wire, and guides for the thread or wire at opposite sides of the said spring, the guide at one side presenting a notch into which the thread or wire may be dropped, and the guide at the opposite side being resilient and presenting a free end beneath which the thread or wire may be passed, said resilient guide having an arched guiding member.

LUDGER J. LECLERC.

copi a at his patent ye obtained; for five cents e c by addressing the Commissioner of ratente Washington, D. G." 

